A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning money from the Colorado adopt a shelter pet
Page 1, Line 102accountused for the care of community cats.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill establishes a grant program to distribute money to encourage a pet animal facility, a pet animal rescue, and a spay and neuter organization located in Colorado (animal welfare facility) to trap, neuter, and return to its habitat a free-roaming domestic cat that may have a caretaker and is not socialized to humans (community cat). The adopt a shelter pet account in the pet overpopulation fund (account) provides the funding for the grant program. The Colorado pet overpopulation authority (authority) will award the grants pursuant to the direction of the authority's board of directors (board).
A prospective grantee may only apply for a grant biannually and may not receive money in consecutive years. The authority must not favor a particular animal welfare facility's business model over another when awarding grants. A pet animal facility must be licensed and in good standing with the department of agriculture and located in Colorado to be eligible for a grant. At least 20% of the money annually awarded for all grants from the account must be for trap-neuter-return program grants. A trap-neuter-return grantee may spend grant money only on:
- Trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats in Colorado;
- Veterinary care for the treatment and sterilization of community cats in Colorado;
- Education and outreach to promote public awareness of trap-neuter-return programs in Colorado and to encourage community participation;
- Training for community cat caretakers and animal control personnel in humane trapping and trap-neuter-return protocols in Colorado; and
- For an animal welfare facility that is a spay and neuter organization, veterinary materials and support for mobile clinics in Colorado.
The bill changes the composition of the board and the qualifications required to be on the board. The board member who represents the general public must not also be on the board of any animal welfare organization, and no board member may be from the same trade or industry group as another board member. The bill adds to the board a representative of No Kill Colorado or any successor organization and a representative of a spay and neuter organization.
The board must annually publish on the pet overpopulation fund website the name of each grantee receiving money from the pet overpopulation fund, the amount of each grant provided to a grantee, when a grantee received a grant, and the names of each board member.
The bill specifies that 70% of all grants awarded money from the pet overpopulation fund must be used for animal welfare facilities that are headquartered and located in a Colorado county with a population of 200,000 or less.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 3, Line 1(a) The pet overpopulation fund has provided funding for grants and programs that have decreased the overpopulation of Colorado's pets;
Page 3, Line 2(b) The pet overpopulation fund is overseen by the Colorado pet
Page 3, Line 3overpopulation authority, which is an entity not subject to administration
Page 3, Line 4by the state government, except for the appointment of its members by the commisioner of agriculture;
Page 3, Line 5(c) The adopt a shelter pet account in the pet overpopulation fund
Page 3, Line 6receives money donated through the sale of the adopt a shelter pet license
Page 3, Line 7plate to be used for spaying and neutering animals in animal shelters and rescues and to support overpopulation education programs;
Page 3, Line 8(d) The allocation of money in the adopt a shelter pet account is
Page 3, Line 9lacking in transparency and the public should have knowledge of the allocation of the money;
Page 3, Line 10(e) Colorado should not favor one shelter model or ideology over
Page 3, Line 11another in shelter and rescue operations because all shelter and rescue
Page 3, Line 12operations work to place pets in adoptive homes, save animal lives, work
Page 3, Line 13in tandem with municipalities and counties, assist in the reduction of pet
Page 3, Line 14overpopulation, and are licensed pursuant to the pet animal care facility act;
Page 3, Line 15(f) More than eighty percent of Americans support nonlethal
Page 3, Line 16solutions like spay and neuter programs and trap-neuter-return programs for managing pet and community cat populations;
Page 3, Line 17(g) Community cats have historically faced high euthanasia rates in animal shelters due to a lack of a human address and socialization;
Page 3, Line 18(h) Trap-neuter-return is a proven humane method to manage
Page 3, Line 19community cat populations, reduce the number of impounded community cats, and decrease nuisance complaints;
Page 4, Line 1(i) The use of trap-neuter-return programs leads to healthier, more
Page 4, Line 2manageable community cat populations while saving taxpayer money and resources;
Page 4, Line 3(j) Colorado rural communities receive proportionately less
Page 4, Line 4funding from the adopt a shelter pet account than urban communities and have a great need for resources; and
Page 4, Line 5(k) The implementation of trap-neuter-return programs in
Page 4, Line 6Colorado's rural communities is crucial because services are often lacking and community cat populations are expanding.
Page 4, Line 7(2) Therefore, the general assembly further finds and declares that
Page 4, Line 8there is a need to address the state's community cat population and that it
Page 4, Line 9is appropriate to use money in the adopt a shelter pet account of the
Page 4, Line 10Colorado pet overpopulation fund to support the sterilization and vaccination of community cats.
Page 4, Line 11SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 35-80-116.5, amend
Page 4, Line 12(2)(a) introductory portion, (2)(a)(II), (2)(a)(IV), (2)(a)(VI), (2)(a)(VII),
Page 4, Line 13(2)(a)(VIII), and (5)(e); and add (2)(a)(IX), (2)(a)(X), (2)(a)(XI), (3)(d), (3)(e), (4.5), (5)(c.5), (8), and (9) as follows:
Page 4, Line 1435-80-116.5. Pet overpopulation authority - creation - duties
Page 4, Line 15and powers - pet overpopulation fund - adopt a shelter pet account
Page 4, Line 16- definitions. (2) (a) The powers of the Colorado pet overpopulation
Page 4, Line 17authority
shall bePage 4, Line 18(II) One representative of
the Colorado federation of animalPage 4, Line 19
welfare agencies or its successor organizationPage 4, Line 20defined in section 35-80-102 (1);
Page 5, Line 1(IV) One representative of
an association organized forofficersPage 5, Line 2(VI) One member from
an animal rescue organizationPage 5, Line 3(VII) One member of the general public
withPage 5, Line 4in animal welfare who is not a member of a board of any animal welfare organization;
andPage 5, Line 5(VIII) One representative of an animal shelter, as defined in
Page 5, Line 6section 35-80-102 (1), a pet animal rescue, as defined in section
Page 5, Line 735-80-102 (11.2), or a veterinary professional registered with the state board of veterinary medicine, from western Colorado;
Page 5, Line 8(IX) One representative of an animal shelter, as defined
Page 5, Line 9in section 35-80-102 (1), a pet animal rescue, as defined in section
Page 5, Line 1035-80-102 (11.2), or a veterinary professional registered with the state board of veterinary medicine, from eastern Colorado;
Page 5, Line 11(X) One representative of an animal shelter, as defined in
Page 5, Line 12section 35-80-102 (1), a pet animal rescue, as defined in section
Page 5, Line 1335-80-102 (11.2), or a veterinary professional registered with the
Page 5, Line 14state board of veterinary medicine, from southern Colorado; and
Page 5, Line 15(XI) One representative from a pet animal facility
Page 5, Line 16licensed and in good standing pursuant to section 35-80-104 located in a county with a population of fifty thousand or less.
Page 5, Line 18(3) (d) Except as provided in 35-80-116.5 (2)(a)(VII), a board
Page 5, Line 19member may be a member of a board or subcommittee of a board
Page 5, Line 20of an animal welfare organization, but no more than one member
Page 6, Line 1of the board may be on the board or subcommittee of the board of the same animal welfare organization.
Page 6, Line 2(e) A member of the board shall recuse themself from any
Page 6, Line 3board action or vote if they have a conflict of interest in
Page 6, Line 4relation to the board action or vote, including any allocation of funding to the member made pursuant to this section.
Page 6, Line 5(4.5) The board shall annually publish on the pet
Page 6, Line 6overpopulation fund website the name of each grantee receiving
Page 6, Line 7money from the pet overpopulation fund, the amount of each
Page 6, Line 8grant provided to a grantee, when a grantee received a grant, and the names of each board member.
Page 6, Line 9(5) (c.5) At least seventy percent of the money annually
Page 6, Line 10awarded for all grants that are funded by the pet
Page 6, Line 11overpopulation fund must be annually allocated for rural
Page 6, Line 12community facilities.The board shall consider awarding at
Page 6, Line 13least fifty percent of the funds designated for rural community facilities to counties with a population of fifty thousand or less.
Page 6, Line 14(e) (I) The authority shall use the
moneysPage 6, Line 15shelter pet account to support the
spayPage 6, Line 16medical costs of animals in animal shelters and rescues,
orPage 6, Line 17overpopulation education programs, and to support the
Page 6, Line 18trap-neuter-return established in subsection(9)(b) of this
Page 6, Line 19section; except that up to ten percent of the
moneysPage 6, Line 20(II) The Colorado pet overpopulation authority must not
Page 6, Line 21favor a particular shelter model when allocating money from
Page 6, Line 22the adopt a shelter pet account.
Page 7, Line 1(8) A pet animal facility applying for a grant described in
Page 7, Line 2subsection(9)(b) of this section from the adopt a shelter pet
Page 7, Line 3account must be licensed and in good standing pursuant to section 35-80-104.
Page 7, Line 5(9) (a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 7, Line 6(I) "Animal welfare facility" means a pet animal facility,
Page 7, Line 7as defined in section 35-80-102 (11), a pet animal rescue, as
Page 7, Line 8defined in section 35-80-102 (11.2), or a spay and neuter organization, as defined in subsection(9)(a)(V) of this section.
Page 7, Line 9(II) "Community cat" means a free-roaming domestic cat that may have a caretaker and is not socialized to humans.
Page 7, Line 10(III) "Ear-tipping" means the removal of approximately one
Page 7, Line 11quarter of a community cat's left ear while under anesthesia, which serves as a visual indicator of sterilization.
Page 7, Line 12(IV) "Rural community facility" means an animal welfare
Page 7, Line 13facility that is located in a Colorado county with a population of two hundred thousand or less.
Page 7, Line 14(V) "Spay and neuter organization" means a nonprofit
Page 7, Line 15organization primarily offering spay and neuter services
Page 7, Line 16performed by a licensed veterinarian, as defined in section 35-80-102 (8.7).
Page 7, Line 18(VI) "Trap-neuter-return" means a nonlethal process of
Page 7, Line 19humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating for rabies,
Page 7, Line 20ear-tipping, and returning community cats to their habitats.
Page 8, Line 1(b) The authority shall establish a trap-neuter-return
Page 8, Line 2funded by the adopt a shelter pet account. The authority may
Page 8, Line 3award money from the adopt a shelter pet account to animal
Page 8, Line 4welfare facilities located in Colorado to implement
Page 8, Line 5trap-neuter-return for the purposes described in subsection(9)(c)of this section.
Page 8, Line 7(c) An animal welfare facility awarded money for the trap-neuter-return is authorized to spend the money only on:
Page 8, Line 8(I) Trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats in Colorado;
Page 8, Line 9(II) Veterinary care for the treatment and sterilization of community cats in Colorado;
Page 8, Line 11(III) Training for community cat caretakers and animal
Page 8, Line 12control personnel in humane trapping and trap-neuter-return protocols in Colorado; and
Page 8, Line 13(IV) For an animal welfare facility that is a spay and
Page 8, Line 14neuter organization, veterinary materials and support for mobile clinics in Colorado.
Page 8, Line 15SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 8, Line 16takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 8, Line 17ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 8, Line 18that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 8, Line 19of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 8, Line 20act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 8, Line 21effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 9, Line 1November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.